


ad infinitum

by bearprincess



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Ace!Cecil and Carlos, Cute, Disability, Domestic, Gen, Genderqueer Character, M/M, Neurodiversity, carlos is still trans but it didn't have to come up, this is shameless purple prose ok i'm sorry, unadulterated fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-06
Updated: 2013-09-06
Packaged: 2017-12-25 18:39:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/956404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearprincess/pseuds/bearprincess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one saw us this evening hand in hand<br/>while the blue night dropped on the world.<br/>--Pablo Neruda</p>
            </blockquote>





	ad infinitum

Carlos loves Cecil’s hands. He loves all the veins that pop out in their dark skin and all the little nicks where Carlos can imagine them being spectacularly ill-suited in woodshop in high school. He likes their black ring, the chill and the weight, how much longer it makes their middle finger look. He loves the little gushy noises Cecil makes when Carlos kisses their fingertips, and how much they smile when Carlos weaves his fingers in theirs. It fills Carlos with such abundant joy that someone appreciates all these small connections as much as he does, especially someone as all around wonderful as Cecil.

Cecil giggles when Carlos rubs his nose on theirs, and sighs happily when Carlos kisses them. They just bubble with positive energy--well, most of the time. Like not the times when he is suddenly ominous or when Carlos is eating. Cecil’s laissez-faire attitude about Night Vale was extremely disorienting, at first, but Carlos knows now that there’s something to it. And besides, they are definitely not laissez-faire to Carlos. Sticky notes with things like “Love you <3” and little stick figure drawings a 6-year-old might partake in line the wall behind his desk. If it wasn’t so damned cute it would have been really embarrassing. Carlos is pretty sure the other scientists tease him behind his back, but on the other hand he’s always kind of felt that way. It doesn’t matter, though. All of Cecil’s little gestures make him feel like he’s at home. Sometimes, when he’s alone in the office, he’ll look over his shoulder and then unpin a note to kiss Cecil’s handwriting. It’s not something many people would think about doing, but Night Vale isn’t a place many people are able to think about anyway.

Carlos loves when Cecil decides to spend the night. He likes having them to make tea with, to eat dinner with, to kiss, to have as a (mostly) human blanket when the nights get chilly. He likes it when they’re sitting chest-to-back (his back on Cecil’s chest, since they are tall enough to rest their chin on his head) and can let their rings overlap. Cecil’s heart beats too fast and Carlos wonders if it’s always done that or if he’s making it do that, or a little of both. He kisses their fingers again and Cecil smiles. Carlos knows love isn’t a cure-all but Cecil is a damned good remedy nonetheless.

“Cecil,” Carlos whispers into the dark bedroom. “Are you still awake?” From the whistling behind him Carlos guesses no, which is just fine. He likes stroking Cecil’s prosthetics even though they can’t feel it. Their legs are smooth like ivory, and Carlos can pretend he’s playing the piano. He remembers lessons as a little kid, although he had always felt that his hands were too small. Cecil would be an excellent piano player, he thinks idly, and maybe they’d like to learn a few things…

Carlos wakes up and Cecil had tucked him in sometime during the night. He wipes the sleep sand out of his eyes with his fists and wraps up in a blanket as he walks out. Cecil is perched on a stool cooking, flipping eggs in a pan. The whole process looks mildly dangerous, what with them rocking back and forth a little in front of a hot stove, but whatever makes Cecil happy. Carlos gives them a kiss on the cheek and sits at the island, perfectly content to watch them work. They plate fried eggs that look possibly bluer than eggs should be, but they taste good and Cecil always glows when Carlos compliments them on their cooking. He wonders if he got served eggs because he wouldn’t have to chew them, which makes him squint at Cecil in a mildly accusatory way. He cleans his plate anyway and takes theirs to the dishwasher, which, by the way, runs on sulfur. Carlos hasn’t asked, but it does make the dishes sparkling clean.

“I sleep so much better around you, Carlos,” Cecil says out of nowhere, and it really throws Carlos for a loop. He thought Cecil would be used to all the weird events in Night Vale, but he guesses that it’s possible he had an effect on Cecil as well. They certainly do look more rested; radiant, almost, and Carlos wonders how often other people got to see Cecil flash their broad smile before they met him. He just holds Cecil’s hand as they rather ineffectively wash the pots and pans and smiles to himself. There’s a looming dread with the day ahead and Carlos knows he’ll have to fix something, but that’s just routine. For now he can show Cecil how to blow bubbles with the dish soap using only their fingers and how to catch them without making them pop, and the wonder Cecil has makes Carlos want to show them everything he knows, everything he will know.


End file.
